Azul Claro Numazu can trace its history back to 1977, with the formation of a local amateur team in Numazu City with the name "Numazu Arsenal". Given the fact that there was never any arsenal or weapons storehouse in the city, it is pretty obvious where the team got its idea for the name. Fortunately, this moniker lasted only three years. In 1980 the name was changed to "Numazu Koryo Club" (Koryo means "fragrance", or "scent"). Once again, there was no particular connection to either a company or a local industry, though Shizuoka does have an annual festival known as "Koryo Matsuri" (the fragrance festival) which may have inspired the choice. In any event, this name only lasted until 2006, when the club took its current moniker -- Azul Claro Numazu.
If you are looking at the team emblem and asking yourself... "so what happened in 1990?" well... you should know better than to ask. Nothing of any significance happened to the club in that year, and even the team's own website (and players) seem to be at a loss to explain the number. What is certain is that the team bases its name and official colour scheme on the clear blue sky that one often sees over the hills of Numazu town. Located near the base of Mt. Fuji, it is famed for several locations where the magnificent view of this towering volcanic peak is enshrined in art and history.
Around 2011, Azul Claro became the pet project of former Japan U-23 coach Masakuni Yamamoto, whose influence carried the club quickly up the amateur ladder and into the professional ranks. In 2010 it was still in the Shizuoka League, but after climbing three levels in three years, it entered the JFL in 2014, and two years later was promoted to the J.League's third division (J3)
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